Ajello served on the Democratic State Committee for the 3rd District from 1993 to 1998.

Biography

Ajello earned her B.A. from Bucknell University in 1966. Her professional experience includes working as the Interim Executive Director of Volunteers in Providence Schools in 1993 and as Store Manager of V. George Rustigian Rugs from 1981 to 1993, and again from 1994 to the present.[1]

Committee assignments

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Ajello served on the following committees:

2008

In 2008, Ajello was re-elected to the Rhode Island House District 3. Ajello (D) ran unopposed and finished with 3,439 votes.[8] Ajello raised $12,298 for her campaign fund.[9]

Rhode Island House District 3

Candidates

Votes

Edith Ajello (D)

3,439

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Edith Ajello is available dating back to 1994. Based on available campaign finance records, Edith Ajello raised a total of $76,041 during that time period. This information was last updated on July 31, 2013.[10]

Scorecards

Legislative scorecards are used to evaluate elected public officials based on voting record. Some scorecards are created by political advocacy groups with a focus on specific issues, while others are developed by newspapers and are broad in scope. Scorecards are meant to be used as a tool for voters to have a quick picture of whether their views align with a particular legislator's record.

Because scorecards can be specific to particular issues or general to a state’s legislative term, for example, each report should be considered on its own merits. Each entity that publishes these reports uses different methodologies and definitions for the terms used.

Personal

In the news

Grants to nonprofit organizations

In 2012, Rhode Island lawmakers issued $1.9 million in legislative grants to nonprofit organizations. These grants were awarded on a nonpartisan basis by House Speaker Gordon Fox and Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed and were chosen based on the merits of the organizations' applications and requests by individual lawmakers. Though the Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled that the legislature has the authority to create grants as part of the budget, some critics called these grants wasteful government spending and believe the money could be used to influence votes. Lawmakers in support of the grants claimed that they go to community organizations that are struggling to fill fundraising gaps or make up for a lack of resources that may no longer be available at the municipal level. According to an August 2013 report in Go Local Prov News, Ajello was among the top 25 lawmakers who sponsored the most in grant funding, obtaining $25,000 for community organizations.[11]